Globally, Asia is the largest source region for atmospheric mercury due to immense coal combustion, industrial emissions, and biomass burning activities.  In UNEP’s most recent global mercury assessment, Asian sources account for more than half of the anthropogenic mercury emitted globally.  In addition to being a major contributor of global mercury emissions, Asia receives significant mercury deposition from upwind local, regional and long distance sources.  Despite the magnitude and extent of Asian mercury emissions, few long-term measurements have been made in the Asia-Pacific region and accessible datasets are very limited.  A documented database of high quality measurements is needed for development of environmental baselines and future assessments of the Minamata Convention, improving atmospheric models, characterizing mercury transport and deposition, and determining tempo-spatial mercury changes.  

Here we report on recent progress to establish a consistent network of monitoring stations for tracking the atmospheric transport and deposition of mercury in the Asia-Pacific region.   In 2012, USEPA, Taiwan EPA, NADP and the National Central University in Taiwan with partners in Southeast Asia launched the Asia Pacific Mercury Monitoring Network (APMMN).  Agency scientists from eight countries are cooperating to share information, data, tools, and technologies to expand coordinated mercury monitoring capacity, develop baseline mercury data useful to regional and global modelers, cultivate a common understanding of policy-relevant mercury scientific topics, and provide training and support to scientists from under-monitored regions. 

The initial phase of the APMMN is a cooperative pilot mercury wet deposition monitoring network in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam), with technical support from several organizations in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the United States.  The pilot network is designed to monitor the wet deposition of mercury using SOPs developed based on NADP/MDN adapted to Southeast Asian conditions.  Monitoring will begin in September 2014; and the pilot network will operate for three years. Future plans include participation from other countries and more stations throughout Asia, inclusion of atmospheric mercury monitoring (gaseous and particulate), and development of longer-term continuous measurements.